Improvement in torpedoes for oil-wells



W. HAUS. Torpedo for Oil-Wells INVENTOR:

Patented April 30,1878.

' ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES a W I l fl/a ER, WASH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILsON HAUS, OF CHURCH P. o., PENNSYLVANIA.

' IMPROVEMENT IN TORPEDOES FOR OIL-WELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,034, dated April30, 1878; application filed February 5, 1878.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WILSON HAUS, of ChurchP. 0., in the county of Clarion and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and Improved Oil-Well Torpedo, of which the following is aspecification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a vertical centralsection of my improved oil-well torpedo and Figs. 2 and 3 are,respectively, a top view and a horizontal section of the same on line :0m, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention'relates to an improved oil well torpedo for opening thelower parts of well-ho1es, whether they are filled with fluid or dry,the torpedo having a supplementary exploding attachment, so that thetorpedo may be exploded, even when the regular caps fail, withoutdrawing the shell out of the well.

The invention consists of an oil-well torpedo having an interiorexploding-shell and an exterior shell filled with a sawdust or papermixture.

The interior shell has a loose guide-tube for the capped exploder andfor the anvil-rod that is forced down by the dropping of the flutedweight. A pivoted guard-piece of the bail admits the insertion of theweight after the inner shell is filled with glycerine. A supplementaryexploder with interior capped rods, and a second anvil extending abovethe bail, serve to explode the torpedo by dropping a weight from above,in case the regular exploder fails to do its work.

Referring to the drawing, A represents the outer cylindrical shell,'andB the inner shell, that is filled with nitro-glycerine and extendedabout half-way down, more or less, into the outer shell, and rigidlysecured by inner radial and top stays. The space between the outer andinner shells is filled with sawdust, or with sawdust and brown paper orother mixture, so as to increase the smoke and heat in the well. At theinterior of the inner shell is placed a short guide-tube, O, that issteadied by radial Wings 0, so as to retain its position in the shell. Asmall exploding-rod, D, with caps at both ends, is inserted into theguide-tube G, and on the same placed the rod of the anvilplate D.

The anvil-plate D is struck by a dropweight, E, that is fluted at theside, so as to pass easier through the nitro-glycerine. The force of thedropping weight explodes the caps in the guide-tube G, and thereby theshell.

At the upper end of the inner shell is a pivoted bail, B, that has acentral perforation for the suspension line or wire of the weight, and apivoted guard-piece, a, that may be opened for removing or inserting theweight. This admits the inserting of shell is filled, and also theremoving of it with perfect safety. At the inside of the inner sh ell isfurther arranged a second fixed guide-tube, F, of greater length, intowhich one or more small rods, 1), with percussion-caps, and also therod' of a second anvil, F, are inserted, which latter is supported abovethe bail B, and provided with a perforation for the passage of the lineof the drop-weight.

Should, for some reason or other, the caps of the central explodingdevice fail to go oh, the torpedo may be exploded directly from the topof the well by dropping a weight, which, by striking the second anvil,explodes the caps of the longer guide-tube, and thereby thenitroglycerine, without necessitating the drawing of the torpedo out ofthe well for recapping. Thus a safer and more reliable shell isobtained.

The torpedo is supported on an anchoringrod at suitable distance fromthe bottom of the well, the socket of the anchoring-rod being screwed tothe lower end of the outer shell in the customary manner.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Pat- (ant- 1. An oil-well torpedo having exterior andinterior shells, the former filled with sawdust, and the latter having aloose guide-tube for the cap-exploder, and an anvil-rod that is forceddown by the dropping of a weight, as shown and described.

2. In an oil-well torpedo, the charged shell B, having a pivoted bail,B, with center hole and recess, and a pivoted guard or closing devicefor inserting or removing drop-weight from shell, substantially asdescribed.

WILSON HAUS. Witnesses:

A. HAMAR, SIGMUND WARSHING.

the weight after the

